When I am out walking each day, I look at plants—the manicured specimens maintained by landscape crews, the lovingly grown clumps of annuals and perennials on smaller lots, and even the strays—self seeded individuals growing where they may or may not be wanted. The other day I saw a butterfly bush or Buddleia davidii growing … Read more
Sometimes you choose to make changes in the landscape. Sometimes the landscape does the deciding. In my case, the situation is a little bit of both. The wooden perimeter fence that bounds my backyard is decrepit and needs replacing. It was handsome once, but that was fifteen years ago. Weather and normal aging have done … Read more
Last month at our summer cottage I went all Constance Spry, challenging myself to make a large indoor flower and foliage arrangement in the spirit of the great mid-twentieth century florist and lifestyle doyenne. Spry was noted for creating alluring set pieces that included wildflowers, tree and shrub branches, and various forms of roadsidia. This … Read more
It is late summertime, when thoughts turn to back-to-school, shorter days, and, for some people, the imminent return of pumpkin spice-everything. For me, it is mallow time. The mallow or Malvaceae family is large, containing nearly 250 genera, over 4,000 individual species and even more cultivated varieties. If the words “malva” and “Malvaceae” mean nothing … Read more
It is hot and sticky and many of my plants, in-ground and in containers, are sulking. They sulk even though I water them and feed them. It is like having teenagers with foliage. As with teenagers, there is really nothing to be done except to continue the good work, and hope that all that loving … Read more
